He is My Secret
by Aiko Misa
Summary: A five-part short story taking place nearly 100 years before the beginning of the Naruto series. What will happen when Kaire is held hostage by her own target for a month?
1. Assignment

彼は私の秘  
Kare 　 wa 　 　 Watashi no 　　 Himitsu

"He is My Secret"

_**Assignment**_

A girl, barely sixteen, stood on top of the Mizukage building that stood at the centre of Kirigakure, clad in complete ANBU armor. Her mask was shaped as a wolf that had a red streak of paint across both high cheekbones of the mask. She was not alone.

"During this mission, your code name will be 'Yumi' as you portray a civilian of Sunagakure." Said the Mizukage's aide, "Of course you understand the importance of this mission due to the treaty kept between Kirigakure and Sunagakure. However, the news about the target defecting from the village has been restrained from the public ear thus far. So, in order to avoid an arousal of trouble as the result if word got out, the Kazekage himself has asked if the assassination could happen away from any villages. Do I make myself clear?"

The girl, standing in a stoic pose bowed as she breathed against her mask, "Yes sir!"

Approximately eight hours since she had left her village, Yumi had arrived at the Kazekage's office, where the middle-aged Shodai Kazekage sat behind a desk, holding out a simple folder to which the girl accepted. As Yumi trifled through the file, the Kazekage looked outside a nearby window as he spoke up, "As you can see, your target is no other then Chikamatsu Monzaemon, the inventor of the Puppet Technique. Though young, because he is the inventor of such a Technique, he is one of the most powerful shinobi this village had produced. That is why I have marked him as an S-Class criminal after he killed a couple of shinobi, as well as civilians, less than a week ago before leaving the scene."

The Kazekage then looked at the girl, "Hunter-nin, this assassination is no ordinary one. Because the Puppet Technique is relatively new, we do not know what he is capable of. Also, he was a native born to this village so he is very familiar of how our shinobi work around here so that is why I have sent for an ANBU member from another village sent to do this job. Hunter-nin, unveil your mask so I may see who I am now responsible of."

Yumi was hesitant at first, but proceeded to take off her wolf mask, but did not dare to open her eyes as soon as she sensed astonishment from the Kazekage and his two bodyguards – the latter two, was less obvious. "Why!" exclaimed the leader, "I have heard women amongst the ranks of men in ANBU, but never such a young woman! What was he thinking, sending a girl who has just barely begun to bloom – "

Out of slight irritation, Yumi had cut him off right then and there, "With all due respect sir," She opened her eyes, revealing her Kekkei Genkai, "I can take care of myself." Something had caught Yumi's attention at first right then and there, but she didn't know exactly what.

The Kazekage didn't say anything at first, but after a few minutes, he spoke, "You certainly are full of surprises…?"

The girl was only paying half-attention now, "Yumi."

"…Yumi. A young Hyuuga amongst the ranks of Kirigakure's ANBU…such a protégé away from home…" He seemed to be consumed with various questions that her background had aroused involuntarily.

"Sir…?" One of the bodyguards spoke up, grabbing the Kazekage's attention. He whispered something into his ear.

"Oh yes! Sorry to keep you waiting like this. Kisho here," He gestured at the bodyguard who had spoken up, who was initially surprised by this, "Will escort you to a place we had prepared for you."

Yumi then snapped out of her stupor, and couldn't help but smile at Kisho's uneasiness, "If I may Kazekage-sama, may I change into my civilian clothes? Eyes will wander, especially because of my Hyuuga eyes."

The Kazekage nodded in agreement, "Kisho will wait for you at the entrance." Yumi, along with Kisho, bowed and left.

As soon as the door closed, the other bodyguard dropped his stoic posture and took off his turban, revealing a mop of pale sandy hair and bright purple Kabuki paint that masked just the right side of his face. He appeared to be around Yumi's age, perhaps younger. But it was the depth of his blues that betrayed him, a depth that is rivaled with only free will. When the Kazekage had first met him, he believed him to contain a lot of knowledge and wisdom way beyond his years, and it took him awhile to understand why.

The bodyguard then left his post from the said Kage and walked towards a mirror that hung on the wall, pausing only to take out a thin brush, followed by a small bottle of bright purplepaint from almost as if it was thin air. The guard stood there, looking at his reflection and finally, after awhile, spoke up in a slow and quiet manner, "I do not mean to question your… _authority_," He then began to paint the other half of his face, taking his time, "But why me Kazekage-sama? Out of all people…?"

The Kazekage propped his elbows on his desk, fingers entwined as he stared off in a random direction, "Because you are the Suna's greatest asset – not only the most trusted and loyal shinobi we have had ever have, but powerful also. You have also completed all of your past missions successfully…" Now resting his arms on the desk, he stared into the mirror to only find that he was being stared back at by two, daunting blue eyes, "…and we can not fail in capturing her…" Finished, the standing shinobi placed the bottle and brush back to where he had gotten it without removing his gaze from his superior. "That is why I had chosen you to carry out this mission,  
Chikamatsu_ Monzaemon_."


	2. New Beginnings

_**New Beginnings**_

One week passed without an incident, as did the next, and Yumi was now growing impatient. She never had to wait. Before, all she had to do was go to where she was told the target was suppose to be and bring back their head to her superiors as proof. While waiting, she had decided to formulate a plan on how to lure the target, Monzaemon, outside the city. _It says here he uses Puppets to attack, which are long range. If I were to get pass these puppets and attack him directly, that would be great. But since there are no recorded data of what they, the puppets, could do – or how many there are for that matter…_

There was a knock on the door, causing Yumi to look up from where she was sitting. Doing a few hand signs, she whispered loudly, "Byakugan!" With her Kekkei Genkai now activated, she didn't get up to go see who it was at the door. It was safer that way.

All she sense though was Kisho's chakra. She sighed. _Kisho…the poor fool won't leave me alone even when he's off guard-duty. Why love me? Especially when I am nothing but the asset of the Mizukage? _Then, she couldn't sense his chakra anymore. Alert, she stood up, her hand inching itself down to get a kunai as she stared at the door, the only entrance and exit, with uneasiness. Kisho's chakra was usually to the right of the door, but she could no longer see him. Cautiously, she was crouching as she headed towards the door in heavy strides that were similar to a man's. Just less then a feet away, there was a knock on the door, and a sudden flash of a person's chakra system revealed itself to her Byakugan, indicating that it was just on the other side of the door. With her Byakugan still activated, she opened the door.

For a moment she had let out a brief sigh of relief, only to realize that it was the other bodyguard that was with the Kazekage on the first day she arrived at Sunagakure. "Oh hey! Where's – " She sniffed the air. Yumi then peaked out of her apartment and looked to where Kisho had stood; only to find that he was indeed he was standing there. _But…this doesn't make sense…_She thought to herself, confused, _I couldn't sense his chakra from the inside, and I can't even sense it ri—_

Yumi immediately jumped back into her apartment as the unnamed bodyguard attempted to attack her with a kunai. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw as Kisho's lifeless body slumped to the ground. Then something automatically clicked in her head as she parried some more kunai attacks. Seeing that her opponent dropping back, she dropped her kunai, she bent down as she flattened her hands out so they were perfectly straight, "Hakke Hyaku Nijūhachi Shō: Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin!" Releasing a reasonable amount of chakra out of her system at once, she began to spin around fast, her exposed chakra protecting her from the cords that had sprung from her enemy's skull. _Not exactly human is it…?_

As the cords retreated after failing to penetrate the shield, Yumi stood back up, "Chikamatsu Monzaemon…you do not look at him." The mouth of her opponent opened and closed again repeatedly, as if it were actually replying, just mocking her. Yumi tried to resist showing him…or it…whatever it was that the mocking was getting the best of her, but ended letting a low growl emit from her tiny lips. Focusing, she looked behind her opponent, and finally confirmed her suspicion: it was just a puppet. She looked even farther from where she stood, following the invisible chakra strings that controlled the bald-headed, cord-wielding puppet back to a cloaked figure that stood on top of a roof leveled with the level she was on in her apartment building. The hallway outside the rooms didn't have the wall, but were open like the ones back in the day before she moved to Kirigakure.

In an instant, Yumi appeared behind the figure, and had been caught saying how she had traveled that quick, "Kiri-shushin." Where the girl was previously, was now covered in fog. There was a chuckle, and the figure turned around and unveiled his hood.

"Not bad, but not good either." Yumi immediately found that another puppet, different from the other one, had taken the place of Monzaemon and had pierced her in the stomach just as the fugitive appeared behind her and knocked her unconscious with a harsh blow to the head.

Yumi had barely opened her eyes when the pain kicked in. She rolled onto her back, her hand on her lower stomach as she groaned. She wanted to get up and kicked Monzaemon's ass for whatever he had done to her. _Poison._ She thought as she again rolled onto her side this time as she groaned once more, just wanting the pain to go away.

A door opened and closed then, and she saw a pair of feet, dressed in black shinobi sandals right in front of her. "I fucking hate you." Yumi mumbled as she wrapped her arm across her body as if to keep the pain at bay. At that moment, she had finally gained enough strength to look up at him and found her target wearing pale, cream-colored pants and just a brown cloak whose hood still covered his head.

Monzaemon then pulled the hood down, revealing that he had frowned at his comment. _He's kind of cute…_Yumi shook her head, as if trying to get that thought out of her head. But it wouldn't, until he held out his left hand and flexed his fingers, as if they had not done a thing for a period of time. Running them through her loose, dark hair he spoke softly, and slowly, "Now, now," He clutched her hair tight and pulled her hair, causing her to groan in pain, "That had actually hurt my feelings. But hey, I'm just a _puppet_, right?"

He had lost his cool for a moment when he had spoke that last line, temporarily making him loosen his grip on her hair and for a moment, the girl felt sorry for him. But the moment had passed and out of hastiness, Yumi blurted out, "Just kill me already!"

The puppet blinked as he processed what his hostage had said. "Kill you? Why would I? Don't you want to live?"

She gritted her teeth, and seethed out in almost a hissing-type fashion, "Yess…"

Tightening his grip on her hair again, he pulled her up as he lowered his head a little to look at her straight in the eyes, "Then_ beg_ me to let you live." Yumi snapped at his face, trying to bite him as a tremendous scowl was drawn onto her face

"I'd rather die right here, quick and easy if it means not having to beg to a _boy_, specifically a boy _younger_ than me."

Monzaemon dropped her then, and started laughing loudly, howling maybe, "_'Boy?_' Pretty and funny." Rubbing her scalp, the scowl on her face grew bigger if possible. Catching this, he added, "I am far _from_ a boy." But before Yumi could even just simply slap his hand away, the puppet grabbed her by the hair again, "So stop being rude, and _beg_."

She shook her head, forcing herself to blurt out "No."

Sighing heavily, he dropped her abruptly onto the ground and reached into his pocket and took out a small vial of silver liquid from his pocket, "When one of my puppets had stabbed you, it was equipped with my latest prototype poison."

"Is that why you killed those people a…month ago? You poisoned them?"

He nodded eagerly, "Yes! Unfortunately I have trouble finding a way to shorten its time to kill. You see, as from the point of Kisho – " The lifeless body of her Suna bodyguard flashed into her mind – " the poison takes up to a month to take its toll on who ever had consumed it."

Yumi blurted out, "If it takes that long, you must really suck at making poison." As soon as she had said those words, she mentally smacked herself. _So unprofessional…_ She had said to herself.

One of Monzaemon's eyebrows twitched, causing the girl to giggle, as this was a sign that she was getting on her nerves._ Why must she annoy me?_ He snapped, "Be human for once, one without obligations to anything or any_one_. Do you want to live, yes or no?"

His sudden seriousness had finally settled in Yumi's mind, but before she could say anything, she bent over, coughing up blood. Frightened at the sight of this, she said a quick 'Yes.'

"Yes _what_?"

"YES! I WANT TO LIVE! NOW GIVE ME THE DAMN ANTIDOTE!" She clutched his leg tightly, sending a tingle up his nerve-free body. And that is why the puppet had formed an interest in the girl.

"Okay, on one condition." He tried to hide an amused smile on his face.

Sensing another mood swing, she looked up as energy began to waste away, "…What is it?"

"You have to stay with me for a month."

"Why a month?"

"I thought you wanted the antidote…oh well. I don't have to give it to you."

Annoyed, she caved, "Fine. A month. Now about the anti—"

He kissed her.


	3. Fracture

_**Fracture**_

_For the first week, the girl had been sleeping in a makeshift bed I had made for her temporarily. I cannot offer much for the sake of the mission, but as strange as it sounds, I believe she has a lot of things to offer to _me_ rather than Sunagakure. She's a fighter, and she won't submit into the Kazekage's bidding that easily. How foolish mortals can be -- they are either corrupted by power or naïve and blind from the truth. During the decades I had spent as a puppet, I had learned a lot of what I am able to do and not do, and have adapted to what I have learned. One of those things I learned however, may not apply anymore: _A puppet does not have the sensory known as touch. _However, I can still not feel other things such as the temperature of water. Twice now I had placed two small towels that I had soaked in hot water mistake onto her forehead. How is a mere puppet supposed to tell the difference between temperatures? Yet, every time she punches me, every time she grabs my hand as she lies in bed recovering…there is a tingle that jolts in my body. This is insanity. Every time this happens, I ask to myself as if I were speaking to the Kazekage: _ Why me? _The weirdest part is, she made me_ smile.

"Why one month?" Yumi asked one day. Now, she was busy making onigiri for Monzaemon and herself, just a day after spending the first week in bed recovering. _It's bizarre,_ she remembered thinking to herself as she rested on a makeshift bed._ Why would he let me live?_ Though this question had forced its way to the tip of her tongue, she had always found some way to swallow it back down. _Just because he saved you, doesn't mean he'll tell you just anything just yet._

Monzaemon, who was sitting across from her on the island she was using, looked up at her, "Hm?"

"Why do I have to stay with you for one month?" She repeated.

"Because, I am lonely."

"People are going to think I'm dead."

"Let it be, that means I don't have to share."

Yumi placed a finished onigiri down, her cheeks bright red. Catching herself, she tried calming herself down in order to make her blushing less obvious. _What's wrong with me? _Annoyed, she walked over to the sink and washed her hands and walked not to her make shift bed on the couch, but into what she assumed was Monzaemon's bedroom and slinked onto the neatly-made bed and just laid there.

"Is something wrong?" Monzaemon was leaning against the doorway, looking at her with pure worry on his face.

She looked back at him, "What? Are you actually worried about me?"

Those words snapped the boy back to reality, and into his bored, stoic expression, "No." There was an awkward silence.

He opened his mouth to say something, but was caught off, "Yes, something is wrong." Monzaemon had only heard half of what she had said, somewhat visibly annoyed that he got cut off,

"I lost my composure as a Mist assassin and the motivation to kill my target, you."

"…Why is that?"

"I…really don't know, and that is what's upsetting me. I'm acting childish and immature, the girl I could have been…"

A sudden interest rose from somewhere inside of him, and made him walk over and sit by her, "What happened?"

She turned her back against him, mumbling, "I don't want to talk about it… Besides, don't you have someone to kill today?"

"I think I have enough time for both."

"It's a long story though." She warned, sitting up now as she looked at him.

Monzaemon tried to muster up a human smile, "I like long stories."

_Her name isn't Hyuuga Yumi as the file the Kazekage gave me said. It was Hyuuga Kaire. A part from her shinobi records, the rest in the file were false. Her mother died of childbirth after giving birth to two children, one of them who shared the same Hyuuga bloodline as her, the other with their father's Uchiha bloodline. Kaire had shivered when she began to describe her father of how he abused her every chance he got, whether directly or indirectly, or whether it was in public or not. She spoke of how the last time she had seen her; he had said that it was her fault that her mother, his wife, had died. He had given her away to his sister-in-law, who would later abandon her just one year before she was placed before this mission. When he had died at such a young age of twelve, she had just met her twin brother, Uchiha Yoshiko, whom was her companion when she was called upon to identify the body of their dead father. He had died during a mission. "I was filled with so much hatred, as I still do towards him, that Yoshiko had to speak for me." Not only that, but her brother had died from leukemia just three years later. It's such a sad story – a girl who looks so fragile on the outside at first glance, acts tough after going through abuse and the deaths of her immediate family. I don't think she had gotten over those things yet. So that is why she is upset. "You are changing me." She had said, "And I'm afraid of that. I do not know your intentions. For all I know, you could have not given me the antidote like you promised."_

Chikamatsu Monzaemon stood before the Kazekage. The latter, who was surprised when the former had suddenly appeared, regained composure as he spoke up, "Yes?"  
In a serious, demanding tone, Monzaemon spoke, "Give me two more weeks."

"I had given you two weeks to carry out this assignment to start with. You either convince her to join us, or to kill her, and here you are, the last day of what the original mission is suppose to end at, asking for _two_ more weeks." Monzaemon knew not to speak, and yet, the urge to defy his superior began to boil, "The Mizukage had already sent others to look for you _and _to look for the girl, alive or dead, and I have been trying to slow them down as much as I can. I don't think I can – "

"You've managed to deal with it the past two weeks, so just give me until the end of the month, and I can guarantee you the head of Hyuuga Yumi."

-------

"Where'd you go? And why are you allowed to leave the house and I can't?" Those two were the first two questions to come out of Kaire's mouth as soon Monzaemon returned from –unknown to Kaire – the Kazekage's office. Grabbing her hand, he dragged her from the couch she laid on and took her to the back of the house to a door unfamiliar to the girl. _Huh, after two weeks stuck in this house you think I'd know every door by now_.

Huskily, and somewhat nervously, Monzaemon seemed to have read her mind, "I had finally built a small glass hall way connecting this door and the greenhouse where I make my _poisons_." He opened the door and sunlight filled the glass hallway through almost every direction, and the ground was plain old grass.

A small amount of excitement swelled inside of her as she slipped off her ninja sandals and stepped into the hallway, and became even more excited when she found out the grass was so comfortable to walk on – to lay on. But before she could lie down Monzaemon hurriedly pushed her through the hallway and into the greenhouse. It was there he seemed to relax even just a little, for he grabbed her hand and walked a bit slower towards their destination. As they walked, Kaire spotted a table filled with vials and a pastel and mortar, and various herbs. _He wasn't joking about the poison thing.  
_

Just then, Kaire crashed into Monzaemon. "Oomph!" She had said, rubbing her forehead. Once her forehead was content she looked around the boy to see a hammock hanging between two trees. Monzaemon climbed in and scooted to the side farthest from where the girl currently stood as if to make room and then patted the empty spot beside him. Kaire felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment for the second time but this time was not as reluctant to let it show as she walked and climbed into the hammock with him.

After a little push and shove here and there, mostly on Kaire's part, Kaire 's head was on Monzaemon's left arm as his other was wrapped around her body loosely. "To keep you from falling off" He had said when she tried to get an answer out of him. Not only that, but somehow their legs had managed to intertwine – but neither of them noticed. It was comfortable for them both, so there was no need to complain.

"Now," he said in a mumbled, almost hush-hush tone, "I think it is fair to tell you about my past since you had told me yours. A lot has happened, but I promise to keep it short. You just _have_ to promise me that your opinion about me won't change, alright?"

She smiled cheekily, though somewhat wearily, "I promise."

-------

Monzaemon could tell Kaire was trying not to seem she was in a state of shock. Her face tried not to show it, but when she looked into her eyes, he had his hunch confirmed – there were even a little bit of fright mixed in there. He grunted as he withdrew his body from her, including his arm Kaire had been lying on. He felt his heart – the only human thing he had left become distant, more cold. Realizing this, his heart pained him as if a kunai had pierced him, and his brain as if it had exploded. He frowned angrily as he looked down onto the girl, who was still preoccupied with her internal battle that they both know she was losing.

Kaire opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She closed her mouth and looked up to look at him, clearly lost for words. That feeling of lost quickly dispersed when she saw how angry he was, how tensed he had become. Guilt overcame her body, _He must have saw through my poker face… _Of course, the teachings of ANBU that were embedded into her mind forever retaliated, _…I was never good at those anyways. I always had a mask hiding my expression. It's not your fault…It's not your fault…_ The girl then forced herself to get up, and began walking back the house, without looking back.

When she had left, Monzaemon had involuntarily relaxed. The feeling of feeling light caught him off guard – he hadn't noticed he had tensed, none the less stop breathing. He didn't know why he had worked himself up to expect that she would accept him for who he was, nor had he prepared himself for such a disappointment.

Internally, he withdrew from the world outside his body, succumbing into the dark corners of his mind, the part who had made him _this _way, and locked his own newly found happiness away from his heart.

_I will not allow this to happen again._


	4. Composure

_**Composure**_

It had only taken Kaire a couple of hours to regain her composure. However, by that time she had fallen asleep on her makeshift on the sofa. Half an hour later, just five minutes before the clock that hung on the kitchen wall struck midnight, the front door creaked opened slowly, then was quickly shut.

After the incident in the greenhouse, Monzaemon had stayed on the roof—where he was both away and not away from Kaire. He had told himself: _I am _NOT _going to be driven away from my own home by the hostage._ He then wasted the hours away thinking various ways of killing her.

Monzaemon unsheathed the ninjatō that had once belonged to a Hunter Nin who had just happened to be scouting the area where the house was. The blood of that shinobi was now smeared all over the edge of the weapon. _Kazekage-sama wasn't joking when he said that Kiri had already sent shinobi to go look for her._ He glanced down at the headband the deceased had been wearing, and though it was smeared with blood, moonlight still reflected off of it. Just then, a sound of rustling caused Monzaemon to freeze. Once he relaxed, he looked out to the couch to see Kaire's nose cringe, mumbling in confused state, "Inu?"

Again he tensed as he looked down onto the Hunter Nin mask that hung right below the headband only to find his allegation was true: it was a dog-shaped mask. _Stupid blood – it's going to wake her up. _Carefully, he walked to the sink in the kitchen, making sure he didn't make any noise that would wake up Kaire. Turning the sink on, the water ran down the blade of the ninjatō, taking the blood with it into the drain. Afterwards, he did the same with the headband and mask, and then headed to his room and hid the two. _If Kaire were to find out – _He shook his head, _No, she won't find out. Even if she did, it wouldn't matter_.

A week and a half passed without incident. Kaire had recovered from being shocked, while Monzaemon stayed with his idea that she thinks of him differently. However, one day during the third week of Kaire's stay, Monzaemon was working on one of his newest puppets in the living room, and Kaire, who was dressed in Monzaemon's clothes that were too big for her and a food-stained apron, sat right next to her captor and spoke up, "What can _this_ puppet do?"

_To be honest, _She started to think to herself, _I really suck at small talk._

Monzaemon looked at her briefly with a blank expression, and then continued to work without saying a single word. He could feel Kaire's eyes staring into him. _Like a cockroach that won't stay squashed. _It annoyed him as much as it made him tense. His counterpart however, opened her mouth to say something but decided last minute to close it. She knew how people got annoyed when she would talk to them while they were preoccupied. Thus, the reason why she had no social life and why missions and training were her entire life – other then taking care of her apartment. She had no family – she had left them -- no friends, nobody.

As she stared at the puppeteer, Kaire couldn't help but think how messed up – and yet somehow amazing – how her first _real _bond between someone was with a puppet who had abducted and poisoned her but easily gave her the 'antidote'. She deduced that it was both messed and amazing because it was the type of bond that had potential…the potential of anything. The bond had plenty of paths to take, anytime and anywhere, and influenced by anything that has or will occur between the two. The unknown had always mesmerized her, seduced her, so not knowing specifically what bond they had intrigued her. Unfortunately, the boy did not feel as equally amazed. In fact, he felt rather uncomfortable. The air between the two had become all stuffy due to Kaire practically radiating innocence and curiosity off of her and began trying to knock down the mental walls head had placed in his head the previous day that protected him from any feelings he was unfamiliar with that Kaire had constantly radiated. It was sickening. "Don't you have chores to do? You do realize I _will _kill you if you don't keep your end of the deal." He hissed harshly.

Having at least a little sense knocked back into her, stood up. But before returning to the kitchen, she smiled softly as she bent down and kissed him on the cheek. Monzaemon frowned greatly as if he were to cover up his embarrassment that would show if he were still human in the form of blushing. _Thank Kama-sama for having a puppet body. _For a brief moment, he started to think about his initial reaction, wondering if she had noticed, but quickly dismissed the thought upon discovering that his heart – the only thing remaining human – had skipped a beat. _If I recall_, His memory went back to him reading a book about human emotion he had read before the start of this mission, _That usually happens when something shocking happens, or if I am in – No, no impossible. _And of course, he wanted to try something.

"OW!" Kaire yelped very loudly. Out of reaction, Monzaemon was immediately at her side, staring down onto her right hand that was covered in a rather large amount of blood, specifically on her index finger.

"Wow, that's a lot of blood for such as small cut." He said, causing Kaire to frown as he took her hand.

"THANK YOU CAPTAIN OBVIO—What the hell?" The puppeteer had placed her bleeding finger in his mouth and sucked the blood away. "Are you trying to suggest something?" At that moment, Monzaemon pulled away and then pulled open a nearby drawer and took out a band-aid, which he wrapped around the cut. She looked from the band-aid to Monzaemon, somewhat speechless. _Why…?_

Monzaemon, who had unknowingly wrapped his left arm around her body as he faced her, placed his other arm around her waist and pulled her up a little as he bent down and kissed her right on the lips, instantly shocking the girl. He waited for her to pull away and slap him or kill him or anything, but to both of their surprise, neither of them broke the kiss. Instead, Kaire wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer, deepening the kiss. A tingling sensation shot right through his body – puppet or not, he still felt it – and it, in a way, pushed him to want to do things he wouldn't normally do. Hell, even the one part that he kept when he was changing himself to a puppet strictly for identifying gender, stiffened. He didn't even understand how it was possible.

He tried to resist giving into the feeling, saying to himself over and over again in his head that he will just get hurt again. Kaire, who's hormones were going crazy from experiencing this sort of touch for the first time, sensed this and panicking a little, kissed his neck and was satisfied when he moaned_. Calm down, _He thought to himself, trying to regain his composure, _Breathe in and out slowly…Cal – Oh screw this. I was originally human anyways._

_This is going to be _so _weird._ They seemed to think simultaneously. But of course, that didn't stop them from moving into a more comfortable room.


	5. Conclusion

_**Betrayal**_

"Wow…" She breathed, "That was…_amazing_." Monzaemon nodded as he smiled faintly. Kaire frowned at how faintly it was, but then quickly smiled, knowing that it was probably the biggest smile she would ever get from him. Somewhat satisfied with her silent excuse for him, she laid her head back down on his chest and closed her eyes.

He could feel her breathing right over his heart, and the feeling of her warm breath was overly sensational – almost orgasmic. He couldn't help but shiver. Kaire never ceased to amaze him. _She didn't freak out… _He remembers thinking when Kaire saw the circular container _…that much._ A sense of guilt overwhelmed him as he reached underneath his pillow, and took out a small syringe. The syringe was small to the point where it and the needle attached to it could fit just on the palm of his hand.

He glanced at Kaire, who was half asleep now, and to the pale blue liquid inside the tiny syringe that he held in his right hand. Then, shaking her gently, he said to her, "Sit up," Kaire willingly listened to him, initially letting her guard down despite her ANBU training. Cupping her cheek with his left hand he pulled her into a deep kiss. Once they parted, he mumbled into her ear, "I'm sorry." Kaire's eyes widen as she turned around, only to be stabbed with the syringe in her arm. Before she could do anything else, her eyes rolled back and fell on top of him, completely knocked out.

_"You've managed to deal with it the past two weeks, so give me until the end of the month, and I guarantee you the head of Hyuuga Yumi." Monzaemon turned to leave but stopped when the Kazekage's bodyguards blocked the door. The puppet merely laughed loudly, "Really Kazekage-_sama_?! Really?! There are windows you know, and I can kill these two henchmen of yours in a blink of an eye." His eyes widen and his laugh grew less sane as he saw one of the guards' hands trembling in terror._

_ "No." The Kazekage simply said, "Your mission was to get Hyuuga Yumi of the Mist to join us, or to kill her. If you have not done so five days from now, we will be arriving at, I presume, your quarters. Before we arrive there, if she fails to give an answer, drug her." By then, Monzaemon grew somber with his head looking at the ground, and both of his hands were rolled into a tight fist, which did not go unnoticed.  
_

_"By drugging her," He spoke slowly, trying to pull himself together, "You mean what exactly?"  
_

_"Knock her out." Monzaemon's fists loosened but maintained its shape, "I will speak to her myself here in my office. Now, do I make myself clear Chikamatsu Monzaemon?" The superior asked. Though refusing to look up, the puppeteer turned his body to his superior, "Yes sir."_

Chikamatsu Monzaemon had gotten dressed, as well dressed the unconscious Hyuuga who was now lying on the couch as he looked out the window. However, he could not see more than a few meters away, for the sky was glum and the heavens were crying heavily at his betrayal. A pang of guilt and dread of what's to come pierced his human heart. His brain however, ignored this. _The heart is sympathetic to the human because it is human as well._ He said to himself. He then walked and sat in front of Kaire and placed his hand on her cheek. "I'm sorry…if it matters, you were a fun specimen to observe. Perhaps, I can use your body as a future puppet if you refuse the Kazekage-sama."

The door then creaked open, causing Monzaemon to turn his head around as he watched four pair of feet walk into his quaint home. The Kazekage was adorned in the traditional white cloak and blue clothing of the Kazekage that he had established in his early days of being one. With him were his assistant, and two new bodyguards – different ones. The puppet couldn't help but chuckle, "You sure are quick replacing your bodyguards." The Kage's assistant, Keitaro, flinched as he clutched his clipboard that he always seem to carry around closer to him, as if protecting himself.

_Finally, Monzaemon raised his head, grinning manically at the Kage. Keitaro, who stood behind the Kazekage, felt a stroke of fear hit him. _Something about him grinning like that sets off a nerve._ He noted. _Remind me to never get him mad. _As he pushed back his glasses, he involuntarily pushed himself back as screams were heard coming from the two bodyguards that blocked the door caught him off guard. Keitaro shivered as he regained his composure. Blinking a few times to adjust his vision, he saw two headless bodies and a grin of a merciless killer on the puppeteer's face. "Make sure you clean this mess up, " The said puppeteer said, waving it off as he owned the place, exiting.  
_

_Keitaro looked at his boss to see the Kazekage was stoic, as if he were expecting this. "You were expecting this, Kazekage-sama…?" There was silence._

_ "You cannot hire a mercenary and not expect him to act out."  
_

_"But I thought he is kin to this village. Isn't it his duty to serve you Kazekage-sama…?"  
_

_The leader turned and looked at him, "He had defected from this village way before the birth of it."_

_ "But he's younger then me sir. He must be just a teenager – "_

_ "He's a puppet Keitaro-kun. _Puppets do not age _like we do." The assistant didn't say anything. "As I was saying earlier, if you hire a mercenary, you must not give into him – show him no fear and you hold the power. If you do, well, everything just dwindles down from there."  
_

The puppeteer's attention immediately averted to Keitaro and chuckled. One of the bodyguards looked at the Kazekage, as if asking if he should proceed with instructions he was given prior arriving to the location. With a nod, the bodyguards headed towards Kaire's body, only to stop when two puffs of smoke appeared behind Monzaemon, who appeared to have that merciless look on his face, only he was frowning. "_Don't _touch her. I'll carry her." Out of the corner of his eye, Keitaro spotted a small grin make its way onto his face.

They started to head back to the village in the rain, and Keitaro couldn't get the Kazekage's grin out of his mind. _He knew this would happen...but why?_

_Keitaro pushed back his glasses again. _That really is his nervous habit_, the Kazekage noted. "If I may sir, Kazekage-sama sir, but did you notice the way he had acted? He was never like this on previous assassination missions, even when the targets were girls."_

_ The superior of the two nodded, "Mmhm. The girl must of done something to cause a man like Chikamatsu Monzaemon to want more time to spend with her."  
_

_Keitaro moved to where he was in front of his boss, "If I may ask sir, but you do sound like you are interested in this, so why shorten it?"  
_

_"To speed up the purpose of this mission."  
_

Kaire began to arouse from unconscious. "Ungh…" She mumbled, her mind starting to throb, "…Where am – Son of a bitch!" She immediately recognized her surroundings to be the Kazekage's office back in Sunagakure as well as the fact that she was being held by the arms by two people. She bared her teeth in a wolf-like fashion, growling at the Kazekage that sat before her in his chair, "What the fuck is the meaning of this?! No, never mind, I get it." Her eyes wandered the room until it landed on someone specifically: Monzaemon. "You used me! You toyed with my emotions to try and get me to side with Sunagakure you sick Sand person!"

Monzaemon, who was leaning against the wall, looked up from the ground and directly at her, "No, I was _hired _to do so. I have no affiliation with any village."

The Kazekage stood up, clearly amused by the conflict going on between the two. He then coughed, "If I may interlude in this little lovers' quarrel…?"

"You may but you may end up headless in about thirty seconds or so!" Kaire said bluntly, trying to wriggle out, but failed when the two guards tightened their grip on her wrists. "Hmph. Idiots." She kicked back into a crouch and did a low kick in a three-hundred-and-sixty rotation, initially knocking both of the guards down. Mercilessly, she stepped on both of their chest, crushing their heart. Kaire grinned a merciless grin at both the Kazekage and his assistant. _That's the exact same _smile _Monzaemon has when he's about to kill_. Keitaro noted, as well as Monzaemon himself, just a little differently.

"You know that us Kiri-nin are excellent sensory ninjas. They will sense that I am here in the village, and the treaty will be broken."

The Kazekage grinned, "My, my, a beauty with brains. However, dear, I'm afraid you're going to end up disappointed because it is not our fault that the treaty was broken."

Kaire opened her mouth to retort that it wasn't Kiri's fault either, but then realized that it was, specifically, her fault. "I…failed the mission." The anger she felt earlier, the confidence, the frustration…it was all gone now. Instead, dread filled her up. She dreaded about what would happen to her when she returns to Kirigakure – if she's able to return – and how the conflict between the two nations will play out. The poor girl began to shake uncontrollably. "Please…please kill me."

Monzaemon and Keitaro were the only two to react, with the former's eyes widening, while the latter gasped. Monzaemon looked at the girl he just made love to just hours ago, just as the Kazekage stood right in front of her, kunai in hand. The puppeteer couldn't help but picture her smile in his mind. It caused him pain – enough pain to cause him to fall down onto his knees. The three in the room – the Kazekage, Kaire, and Keitaro, all looked at him, with the latter frowning. _He loves her doesn't he? But after all these decades of training himself to be emotionless… _

The Kazekage smiled, _All is going according to plan_. He then turned to the kneeling Hyuuga. "Hyuuga Kaire, are you sure you want to die, and not join us instead?"

"I…I'm sure."

"Monzaemon? What about you? Shall I kill your lover? Or shall you take her place and join us permanently?" Both Kaire and Monzaemon stared at the Kazekage but for different reasons. The puppeteer's mouth was agape, but no words came out. The superior nodded, "Very well."

He raised his hand that held the kunai above the back of Kaire's neck, and Kaire yelled, "Monzaemon! He used me to try and convince you to take my place in joining Suna! Monzaemon! He just fucking bluntly said that! Son of a bitch, Monzaemon I lo—" Instead of decapitation her, the Kazekage knocked her unconscious

"NO!" Monzaemon yelled as he snapped back into reality, lurching himself forward and tackling Kaire all the way to the side of the office, just when a loud boom was heard, causing the building to rumble, as well as the roof of the Kazekage office to come tumbling down.

"They found her! Keitaro! Sound the alarm!"

_-------_

_ The world went numb for Monzaemon then. He could not hear, and everything became a blur around him. He could hear faint voices, but they were far away. It didn't matter anymore. He has the one thing in this world to make him feel… _Human.

_He turned Kaire's body so her face was facing him and gently slapped her cheek once, and then twice. No response. Panicking, he quickly searched for her pulse and just faintly, just faintly, he felt on. "Please hang on in there Kaire, please… _I love you_." Placing her down gently, he quickly took out one of the two giant scrolls he had attached to his lower back, followed by a small bottle of ink and a brush. The first one, a blue one, was used to summon his puppets. The second one however, a green one was blank. He quickly dipped the brush into the ink and begun writing on the scroll fast. Once he was done he made a certain hand sign, and soon, Kaire's body disappeared. _She'll be find in there, I'll summon her once we're far away from this place…somewhere far from Kiri and Suna.


End file.
